Daniel Nadel, director of the Office of International Religious Freedom at the US State Department after his recent visit to Kuwait and his meeting with various authorities in the country,
Director of the Office of International Religious Freedom at the US State Department, Daniel Nadel, confirmed Kuwait is committed to preserving a culture of tolerance and coexistence. Nadel expressed his admiration for “the ability of citizens and residents to speak frankly about the difficulties they face,” reports Al-Jarida daily.
Nadel said he came to Kuwait to engage government officials and civil society on issues related to religious freedom and freedom of expression within the country, and “I was able to meet a full list of interlocutors, including officials in the Ministry of Education, the Human Rights Committee in the National Assembly, and the Human Rights Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, and representatives of many civil society organizations.
He added, Kuwait has a good story to tell of a vibrant and diverse people and the government seems to be encouraging it, and I look forward to continuing my conversations with my counterparts in Kuwait to support their continued efforts towards freedom of religion and expression.
He went on to say, “Kuwait has surprised me with the ability of citizens and residents to talk openly about the hardships and difficulties they face and how the government supports them or does not support them, and I think that when religious communities feel that they are struggling they feel comfortable raising these concerns with their contacts, which is unusual for this part of the country but world must praise this.
“However, as with any bureaucracy, there seem to be some areas of improvement in ensuring that religious communities are able to practice their faith freely, and the government representatives I met seemed willing and eager to address these limitations.”
On the issue of promoting freedom of religion and belief as the primary goal of US foreign policy, in light of the presence of hundreds of thousands of non-Muslim expatriates, he said, “We do not hear about Kuwait’s involvement in the field of international religious freedom, like some other countries in the region, so I was also surprised to see the extent of Kuwaitis’ commitment to securing freedom of worship and expression, and there is no perfect country, and there is always room for improvement, but it seems that Kuwaitis are committed to preserving a culture of tolerance and coexistence,” he added.
He went on to say, his office has been mandated by Congress to prepare an annual report on the state of religious freedom around the world.
Each year a team of experts compiles open source statistics, information, and examples that tell the story of religious freedom in more than 190 countries. These reports are one tool in our toolkit to address concerns and violations of freedom of belief as appropriate.
However some countries are considered flagrant violators of religious freedom and have been designated as countries of particular concern, a designation that comes with penalties.
Human rights are a pillar of the priorities of President Joe Biden’s administration, and if one of these rights is violated, the corresponding rights are likely to be as well, and societies that respect human rights have proven to be more stable, secure, and prosperous, he added.
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